


Unofficially Official

by zuotian



Category: Adventure Time
Genre: Established Relationship, F/F, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-22
Updated: 2019-01-22
Packaged: 2019-10-14 08:18:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17504999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zuotian/pseuds/zuotian
Summary: Marceline visits the Candy Kingdom and finds a little girl in need of help. After the situation is resolved, Bubblegum has a very important question to ask her regarding the future of their relationship.





	Unofficially Official

Marceline floated into the Candy Kingdom at a leisurely pace, as if strolling midair. The citizens were going about their usual business with a new pep in their sugary steps. Since the end of the Gumball War, it seemed the entire Land of Ooo had taken a large breath of relief. There were still some issues to iron out - like Finn and Jake crashing at Marceline’s place until they found a new home, boxes of mementos salvaged from the treehouse wreckage stacked in the living room - but for the most part, things were okay, and everyone believed they would remain okay for awhile. It was a fresh sense of security and stability, and it rejuvenated the land. 

 

Since her house was packed, Marceline had taken to visiting the Candy Kingdom more often. Not only were Finn and Jake staying with her, but Simon too. It was a drastic change going from single living to having three roommates. She couldn’t even pick her nose in peace, and each jam session became a group effort. Sometimes, Marceline needed her space. 

 

But the citizens were taking note of her frequent presence. They waved at her now as she passed by, calling out to say hello. It wasn’t as suffocating as having three dudes all up in her business, but not exactly comfortable, either. Marceline wasn’t used to being looked up to.

 

“Marceline! Miss Marceline!” 

 

She paused and glanced over, lowering half an inch to the ground. A gumdrop kid ran up to her, teary-eyed. 

 

“Whoa, what’s up little guy? Shouldn’t you be in school, or something?” 

 

The gumdrop kid sniffled. “They were making fun of me.” 

 

Marceline frowned. “What for?” 

 

“Stacey got a new pair of shoes! Mine are totally ugly now. Everybody else said so!” 

 

“Oh, jeeze,” Marceline said. “That’s totally lame of Stacey.” 

 

“My mom still made me go, but they were mean so I ran away during recess.” 

 

“Hmm.” Marceline raised her hands, lengthening her nails into demonic claws. “Want me to beat them up for you?” 

 

“No! I just want new shoes.” 

 

“Oh.” Marceline let her hands drop to her sides. She wasn’t really good at shopping. She just picked up clothes wherever she found them, like abandoned shopping malls. Once she got a cardigan from Wizard City, but stopped going to those backdoor boutiques once she figured out the cardigan was haunted by the spirit of a pagan grandpa. “Well, did you ask your mom?” 

 

The gumdrop kid crossed her tiny arms. “My mom said to use my allowance, but I already spent it making wishes in the fountain for a new pair of shoes.” 

 

Marceline brightened. “Then let’s go fish that dash out!” 

 

“Princess Bubblegum collects wish money for taxes,” the gumdrop kid stated. 

 

“Well, maybe PB can make your wish come true then.” Marceline swept downward to pat the gumdrop kid’s head. “I’m sure she’s got time for a cutie like you. C’mon, I’ll give you a ride.” 

 

She picked the kid up in her arms and flew to the castle, swooping into a window. They entered a wide hallway; Marceline dropped the gumdrop kid and took her hat off now that they were indoors. 

 

“Now we have to find her,” she said. The gumdrop kid didn’t move. Marceline bit back a sigh. “What now?” 

 

The gumdrop kid stretched her hand out. “The palace is really big.” 

 

“Oh.” Marceline took her hand. “Okay, then.” 

 

They started down the hallway, and finally encountered a pair of banana guards. 

 

Marceline stopped in front of them. “Yo, you two know where the princess is at?” 

 

“Uhhh,” one of the guards intoned, looking to his partner. “She’s busy right now.” 

 

Marceline scoffed. “Too busy doing what?” 

 

“It’s a secret,” the first guard said. 

 

“Yeah, top secret,” said the second. 

 

The gumdrop kid pouted and kicked the floor. “Aw, I knew it. She doesn’t have time for me.” 

 

Marceline looked down with sympathy. “That’s not true. If I know Bonnibel - which I do - she’d want to help. She, like, flipping loves you guys. Especially you little babies.” 

 

“I guess,” the gumdrop kid sighed. 

 

“We’ll just do it ourselves,” Marceline said. 

 

“Wait, no, don’t do that,” the first guard ordered. 

 

Marceline cackled, already leading the gumdrop kid away. 

 

“Where should we look first?” the kid asked once they rounded a corner. 

 

“Probably her lab,” Marceline said. “Wait - hold up. I forgot.” She pulled out her cellphone, which dutifully wrapped around her wrist. She hit the first speed dial and waited, but the princess didn’t answer. Marceline shrugged and repocketed her phone. “It was worth a try.” 

 

“You have the princess’s phone number?” the gumdrop kid asked in amazement. 

 

“Um, yeah,” Marceline replied. 

 

“Wow. You guys must be best friends or something.” 

 

Marceline laughed awkwardly, her face flushed red in embarrassment. “Or something, for sure.” She tugged the kid’s hand. “Let’s go, okay?” 

 

They made it down a set of stairs when the intercom buzzed. Marceline looked up to the ceiling to listen, brow furrowed. 

 

“All guards report to hall duty. All guards report to hall duty. A vigilante and child are trying to donk up the princess’s top secret stuff!” 

 

“Glob dangit,” Marceline cursed. 

 

“What are we gonna do?” the gumdrop kid exclaimed. 

 

“Don’t worry.” 

 

Marceline picked her up and burst into a nearby storage closet. She pressed her back against the shut door and held the kid to her chest. 

 

“Be quiet,” she warned. 

 

The sound of marching guards passed by, then faded. Marceline peeked out of the closet and looked down both sides of the hallway. 

 

“Coast is clear,” she whispered, and floated out. 

 

They traversed the halls slowly. Whenever guards approached Marceline flew over their heads and laid flat against the ceiling. 

 

Almost at the lab, they had to pass through a large banquet room. 

 

“There shouldn’t be any guards here,” Marceline said. 

 

But she was wrong. The large double doors creaked loudly upon opening, and a lone guard turned around. Marceline turned invisible at the last second, the gumdrop kid still held in her arms, floating in the air. 

 

The banana guard pointed with his staff. “You there!” 

 

“Oh boy,” the gumdrop kid moaned. 

 

“Have you seen any weird business?” the guard asked. 

 

“Umm…” The gumdrop kid looked around. “Nope!” 

 

The banana guard frowned, and lowered his staff. “Okay. Well, keep an eye out.” He turned his back to them. 

 

“That was close,” Marceline said under her breath. She remained invisible, floating toward the other side of the room. They’d have to sneak past the guard to get to the opposite doorway. 

 

“I got it,” the gumdrop kid said. She took one of her shoes off and tossed it across the room, narrowly missing the guard. “I didn’t like them anyway.” 

 

The banana guard jolted and whirled around. “Hey! You there!” 

 

The gumdrop kid beat against Marceline’s invisible arms. “Go go go!”

 

Marceline dashed through the next door and slumped to the ground, releasing the gumdrop kid. “Whew. That was pretty smart.” 

 

The gumdrop kid smiled. “Thanks!” 

 

“Here’s the lab,” Marceline said, moving to the only door in the corridor. “I hope she’s here. If not, we’d have to look through her bazillion secret lairs. I don’t know if a kid your age is ready for that.” 

 

She twisted the doorknob and stepped inside with trepidation. “Bonnie? You in here?” 

 

Princess Bubblegum gasped, looking up from her equipment. “Marceline? What are you doing here? I’m kind of busy - and who is that?” 

 

“My new buddy,” Marceline said. 

 

“Princess!” The gumdrop kid took off across the lab. 

 

“Jeeze! Hold on!” 

 

The princess snapped her purple gloves off and removed a pair of safety goggles. She shut down her equipment, then stood from her stool. Her hair was braided back into an intricate bun, loose flyaways disturbed by the goggles. She took off her lab coat to reveal a white blouse and magenta jeans, then finally reached down to pick up the gumdrop kid. 

 

“What’s so important, little one?” she asked. 

 

“I need new shoes!” 

 

Bubblegum glanced at Marceline. “What?” 

 

Marceline floated closer, scratching the back of her head. “It’s kind of a fashion emergency. She came up to me crying.” 

 

“The kids at school made fun of me,” the gumdrop kid explained. 

 

“It was mostly Stacey,” Marceline added. 

 

“I hate Stacey,” the kid grumbled. “She got new shoes, and mine are ugly now. I need new ones. So I made wishes in the fountain, but they didn’t come true. But Marceline said you could help me!” 

 

“She did, did she?” Princess Bubblegum asked. 

 

The gumdrop kid eagerly nodded. “Yeah!” 

 

“You’re already missing one,” Bubblegum noted, poking the kid’s bare foot. “How did that happen?” 

 

“It’s a long story,” Marceline interjected. 

 

“We threw it at a banana guard,” the kid said. 

 

Bubblegum raised an eyebrow and sent an appraising look to Marceline. “Oh, were you the two they sent the alarm out for? I should have known.” 

 

“I didn’t know you were working on stuff,” Marceline said. “But I figured you’d want to help anyway. And she was pretty stubborn about it.” 

 

“Well, lucky for you,” Bubblegum told the gumdrop kid, “Marcy is right. Now, appearances aren’t everything, and you shouldn’t judge people by how they look or what they wear. But…” 

 

She set the kid on the stool, then bent down and took off her own shoes and held them up. 

 

“These are red heels from the Fire Kingdom, made out of volcanic rock. You can tell Stacey you got them from the princess herself. Let me put them in my physical particle manipulator.” She walked to another machine. It opened like a microwave, with an array of buttons. Bubblegum put in a certain code, inserted the shoes, and the machine dinged. When she took the shoes out, they were shrunk down to the appropriate gumdrop size. 

 

The gumdrop kid gasped. “They’re perfect!” 

 

Bubblegum returned and handed them over. “Just don’t throw them at any guards. You’ll bust their heads.” 

 

The gumdrop kid jumped down from the stool, her new heels click-clacking on the lab’s tile floor. “I love it! Thank you!” 

 

“Thank Marceline,” Bubblegum said. 

 

The gumdrop kid flung herself at Marceline, who grunted and patted her head. “Heh, it’s cool, dude. You’re cute.” She bent over to whisper, “I’ll still beat Stacey up for you.” 

 

“Nah, it’s okay,” the gumdrop kid replied. “I can do it myself if I need to.” 

 

Bubblegum stepped forward. “Now go back to school,” she gently demanded. “Lunchtime ended awhile ago.” 

 

“I can take her,” Marceline said, “it’ll be quick.” 

 

“Okay,” Bubblegum allowed. “But come back after.” 

 

Marceline blushed again. “Alright.” 

 

She flew out the window and deposited the gumdrop kid at school.

 

“Delivery,” she announced, poking her head into the classroom’s window.

 

Several students jumped in fright. The teacher turned to her with distaste, no doubt irked over the disturbance. 

 

The gumdrop kid jumped down into the room. “Look at my new kicks, everybody!” 

 

“Wow, those are way cooler than Stacey’s,” someone commented. 

 

“They’re from the princess,” the gumdrop kid proudly informed. “Marceline the Vampire Queen helped me get into the castle. We had to sneak past the banana guards, and…”  

 

Marceline smiled, then drifted away and returned to the castle’s lab, hands in her pockets. Bubblegum had redonned her science getup. Marceline floated to her side. 

 

“Everything went okay?” Bubblegum asked. 

 

“Yeah, it’s good. So what’s this top secret stuff you’re working on? Don’t tell me you’re into bioengineering again.” 

 

“No, no,” Bubblegum dismissed. She turned away from her equipment and put her hands on Marceline’s. “I have something to ask you, actually.” 

 

“Oh.” A lock of hair fell into Marceline’s face. She flicked it away, a nervous jitter. “Shoot.” 

 

“You’ve been really helpful to the candy people recently,” Bubblegum said. “With the war and everything - I’ve appreciated the extra help. And, I mean, we are back together now.” 

 

“Yeah,” Marceline said, smiling softly. 

 

“This isn’t a proposal or anything - “

 

Marceline’s face blanked. “What?!” 

 

Bubblegum squeezed her hands. “Let me finish! This isn’t a proposal, but it is a bit of a loaded question. You’ve been there for me and my people for awhile now. You helped with the war. I’ve realized I need you by my side, Marceline. With all these new treaties and reformations going on - I need an ally, a partner to help me. You’re pretty much an ambassador already, so… I was wondering if we could make it official. I understand we both lead busy, independent lives, and that you don’t like being tied down. That’s fine - this is informal, but symbolic too. Anway - I made you something.” 

 

Marceline blinked, anxious affection swelling in her chest. “Bonnie, what are you saying?” 

 

Bubblegum released her hands, and pulled something from her equipment. It wasn’t a pair of shoes, but a dark gray cloak with an inlaid gold clasp similar to the top of Bubblegum’s crown, except the gem inside of it was red instead of blue. 

 

“I didn’t think you’d want a crown,” Bubblegum said, “so I made you this. Raggedy Princess lent me the fabric. I just thought - at delegations or meetings, or when there are events here at the kingdom - you could wear it, you know? Not that I don’t think you look great otherwise, but I just thought it was regal, and you deserve something distinguished and - “ 

 

“Bonnie.” Marceline took the cloak. She wrapped it over her shoulders, then closed the clasp at the base of her throat. “I love it. Thank you.” 

 

Princess Bubblegum smiled. “Really, you do? It’s not too much?” 

 

“No way.” Marceline shrugged. “I guess, I’ve always thought of ruling over people as a bad thing, because of my dad and the Nightosphere. But this is nice. The candy people are adorable...and I’ll get to be with you.” 

 

“That’s great. Really, it is - because I already made a second throne! It would’ve been a total waste of time if you said no.” 

 

Marceline laughed. “You’re crazy, lady - I like it.” 

 

Bubblegum tugged her close. “Oh come here, you.” 

**Author's Note:**

> i'm halfway through my rewatch (season 6) and want to eventually write some more serious fic (like finn/hw which i sorely need more of), but need to catch up on all the lore and biz. so in the meantime here is something more fun and simple. a reference to season 11's first arc [[SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER]](https://i.redd.it/dbp39tjw7wb21.png)
> 
> i haven't written AT fic since my sophomore year of high school so please let me know how i did!


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